Skokie and other nearby suburbs? (Chicago, Evanston: short sales, houses, safe neighborhood)

[pajamafeet]

We are looking to move from Rogers Park in Chicago to a better neighborhood for family life. We love city life, but need more space for our three kids and DEFINITELY need better schools.
We are a multicultural family, and are of average income. We've thought about Evanston, but there doesn't seem to be any "middle-ground" neighborhoods... just very rich, or very poor. We've considered Skokie because its more affordable and the schools seem good, but I've heard there are "sketchy" areas? (Although I can't imagine that the "sketchy" part of Skokie is any worse than the best parts of where we are now).
Basically we'd like to be near the city and be by good schools, in a safe neighborhood. Culturally diverse would be a bonus.
Any help/insights much appreciated!

[nana053]

Originally Posted by pajamafeet

We are looking to move from Rogers Park in Chicago to a better neighborhood for family life. We love city life, but need more space for our three kids and DEFINITELY need better schools.
We are a multicultural family, and are of average income. We've thought about Evanston, but there doesn't seem to be any "middle-ground" neighborhoods... just very rich, or very poor. We've considered Skokie because its more affordable and the schools seem good, but I've heard there are "sketchy" areas? (Although I can't imagine that the "sketchy" part of Skokie is any worse than the best parts of where we are now).
Basically we'd like to be near the city and be by good schools, in a safe neighborhood. Culturally diverse would be a bonus.
Any help/insights much appreciated!

I have lived in both Skokie and Evanston and love Evanston. Skokie is ok, but it does not have the walkable areas that Evanston has.

Skokie does have more housing and neighborhood integration. In my neighborhood in Skokie, we had Pakistanis, Indians, African Americans, Russian Jews and Mexicans all on the same street. You generally will not find that in Evanston because of the income disparities.

The schools are good. There are parts of Skokie that actually go to the Evanston schools though, so that can be a factor in where you decide to live.

Our neighborhood, btw, was just west of McCormick and a little south of Dempster. Houses in my old neighborhood are going for around $300,000, but there appear to be some short sales for a good bit less.

[Bogey]

Skokie is also on our short list (we are a family of 5) when we move from Evanston in a few months. We enjoy Skokie's library, the pools in the summer, their park district programs and facilities are great too. Good restaurant options in a variety of ethnicities too. We've toured a few of the schools and are quite impressed compared to other schools we toured in other places we've considered. When looking at school rankings/test results for Skokie, consider the varied language and socioeconomic backgrounds of the students.

What's your price range, and how big of a place are you looking for?